


Ruby the Wolf Hunter

by 1_Lucy_1



Category: Little Red Riding Hood (Fairy Tale)
Genre: AU, Feminist Themes, Gen, Modern Retelling, OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-30
Updated: 2013-10-30
Packaged: 2017-12-30 23:26:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1024639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1_Lucy_1/pseuds/1_Lucy_1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'The Wolf' is a murderer, terrorizing the town of Klangbury, but when he kills Ruby's friend she decides to take matters into her own hands...</p>
<p>A modern reworking of the classic fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, for a project on feminist fairytales.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Klangbury

Once upon a time there was a town called Klangbury. But Klangbury was no ordinary town, for this town was

imprisoned by fear. Every month, when the full moon was high, casting its eerie glow on the town below

something terrible would happen. Every month, at this time, there would be a murder. The bodies, when

found, had been torn apart and barely resembled the people they once were. It was because of this that the

murderer had earned his moniker...The Wolf.

 

It was this time again when Ruby got a phone call from Mrs Merleton, an elderly widow who lived on the

outskirts of town, but when she answered there was no reply from the other end, no sound, just silence.

 

"Mrs Merleton?" Ruby spoke, but the silence remained. "Caryl?" she said, more anxious this time. Still no

reply came.

 

Ruby threw down the phone and grabbed her coat, heading out into the darkness. She hoped that the coat's

hood would help her move through the town unseen. Normally she would stay with Mrs Merleton on these

nights, but today had been different. She had called Ruby earlier in the day, insisting that she wasn't to visit

her today as she was unwell. It hadn't seemed strange then, but now, as the snow fell thick and fast, Ruby was

beginning to worry.

 

Finally, she reached the cottage on the outskirts of town. The lights were on and, giving a warm yellow glow,

the house looked just as inviting as it always had, but something wasn't right. Looking through the window at

the front of the house she could see that the chair that Mrs Merleton always sat in was lying on the floor; one

of the wooden legs was missing.

 

So, moving as quietly as she could on the large wooden porch, Ruby picked up the axe which was propped up

against the wall, hidden behind a large flower pot. Tentatively, she reached out a hand and slowly turned the

doorknob, silently praying it was locked. The click of the lock was like a knife in her heart.

 

The door creaked open and Ruby took a step inside. The whole place was a wreck. Smashed glass from the

broken picture frames littered the room, the curtains were torn and there was furniture strewn across the room.

But, what caught her eye most about this scene were the large muddy footprints all over the room, leading

upstairs. For a minute Ruby questioned following them, unsure of what she might find, but she knew that she

had to.

 

As she made her way slowly up the stairs, the wooden slats creaking under her feet, there was a muffled noise

from above her head. Someone else was here. Whether it was Mrs Merleton or not, Ruby didn't know, but

nevertheless she continued her climb, anxious to find out. At the top of the stairs a sliver of light came from

the bedroom door, left ajar, a beacon of hope in the dark hallway and raising the axe, Ruby reached up a hand

to push open the door.

 

But, just as her hand touched the wood, she heard movement behind her, feet scuffling in the darkness, a

shadow going down the stairs and, abandoning her search she ran after it. The figure of a man dressed in black

moved quickly through the house, and as he desperately tried to navigate his way through the mess he had

made, he tripped on the broken chair leg and fell to the ground. Ruby stepped off the bottom of the stairs as he

tried to scramble to his feet and she cautiously approached him, axe raised in her hand. Rage burnt inside of

her and she bought the axe down - just as the man pulled his leg up to support him - the blade caught his skin,

cutting deep into his calf. A cry of pain froze Ruby with fear, and she braced herself for retaliation, but, to her

surprise the man just pulled himself all the way up and ran unsteadily out of the house and into the darkness.

 

 

The police cameras flashed, capturing every inch of the horror, Ruby could barely look at the scene before

her. Mrs Merleton, her beloved friend torn apart by a ruthless killer, her face barely recognisable from the

attack. Official-looking people crowded the scene, hurrying from room to room carrying various items in

small plastic bags, the broken picture frames, a piece of the curtains stamped with the killer's muddy footprint

and even the broken chair leg amongst them. Ruby was hurried out of the room by the forensics team and

taken to see the detective in charge of the scene.

 

"Ma'am I'm Detective Inspector Crawford. I understand that you're the one who called us" he looked at her

expectantly.

 

"Yes. I - uh - well, I found her" Ruby stumbled out a reply.

 

"Well, we thank you for your call, now I think you should leave. I'm sure this was very traumatic for you.

Hanson!" he called to the officer who stood across the room by the open front door, "Can you please escort

Miss - I'm sorry, what was your name?"

 

"Ruby. Ruby Hunter."

 

"Right. Can you please escort Miss Hunter home?" he instructed the office before turning his back on Ruby.

 

"No." she spoke up as Hanson tried to usher her out of the house. "I can make my own way home."

She needed the air. She needed time by herself to process what had just happened. And besides, she still had

the axe under her coat; the tip of the blade coated with the blood of The Wolf and getting into a police car

with it probably wasn't the best idea.


	2. Hunter vs Crawford

The early morning light shone brightly through the curtains, casting a bright yellow glow on the room. Ruby

sat up in bed, the news channel recounting last night's horrific events; and though the details had been edited,

so as not to interfere with anyone eating breakfast; she saw it all, clear in her mind, just as she had seen it

before. It filled her mind and, as much as she had tried, she hadn't slept. She needed to know who this man

was, this 'wolf', she wanted to find him.

 

Jumping out of bed and pulling on her clothes, Ruby turned off the television and headed downstairs. She

grabbed her coat and left, picking up the bloodied axe, with one destination in mind - the police station.

 

The cold wind was bitter, so Ruby put up her hood to keep it at bay and shoving her hands into her pockets,

began to walk quickly through the town. By now, everyone in the town had heard of the latest murder and not

many people wanted to go out when there was a killer on the loose, so the streets were deserted. It was quiet

as she walked; the only noise was the crunch of her footsteps in the snow and the occasional bird flying

overhead, chirping happily in the morning light.

 

The police station, by contrast, was a hive of activity; there were officers running back and forth carrying

stacks of paper, various files and boxes into a room with a large table in the centre, surrounded by a number of

tired-looking men and women, their clothes dishevelled - many of whom Ruby had seen the night before. At

the head of the table was DI Crawford, his mouth set in a grim line as he clutched a cup of coffee in his hand,

reading the morning newspaper.

 

Ruby approached the room, but was stopped by an officer by the door. "No public in here" they snapped at

her, their arm raised to block the doorway.

 

"I need to speak to DI Crawford" Ruby said calmly, ducking underneath the arm and stepping into the room,

ignoring the officer calling after her.

 

All eyes were on her as she stood by the door. "Miss Hunter" Crawford sighed "There's no public allowed in

this room. Now if you wouldn't mind" he gestured to the door "we have a serial killer to find." His eyes

returned to the paper before him.

 

"Yes, it looks like a really proactive case," she looked toward Hanson, the officer she met last night, sleeping

in a chair to the left of the detective.

 

"Most of the people you see in this room have been here all night trying to find some sort of lead to go on.

Anything to find out who 'The Wolf' is, so it's understandable that they may be a little tired" Crawford didn't

even look at her this time, he just carried on reading. Ruby knew he was listening though, as he discreetly

kicked Hanson, who woke with a start.

 

Ruby was steadfast, her eyes on the detective "I want you to tell me everything you know about The Wolf,"

and at this all eyes were on her once more.

 

Lowering his paper and his coffee, Crawford lifted his gaze, an exasperated look in his eyes, "It's not

something any lady should have to hear." His voice dripped with condescension.

 

"Well, I think that's for me to decide," remaining resilient, Ruby pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

 

"Go back to your sewing, sweetheart" he sat back, taking up his paper once more, "Leave the big boys to sort

this out."

 

"Fine. I'll give you one more chance to tell me."

 

Crawford practically spat out his coffee as he looked up incredulously at Ruby " _You'll_ give _me_ one last chance!" laughter roared in the room, but Ruby remained silent until it died down.

 

"Yes, I'll give you one more chance. And seeing as I have the only real piece of evidence to find out who The

Wolf is, I think you should tell me what I want to know" she took the axe from under her coat and placed it on

the table in front of her.

 

The room came to an abrupt silence as all eyes fell on the axe and then its blood-stained end.

 

Hanson was the first to break the silence, "Is- is that--"

 

"An axe stained with the blood of 'The Wolf'. Yes. Yes, it is."

 

"How did you...H-how?" Crawford asked, his brow furrowed and his eyes wide.

 

"I got a call from Mrs Merleton the night she was killed, but there was nothing on the other end. So, I went

over to her house to check on her. But, when I got there the place was, well, you saw, and Caryl was nowhere

to be seen." Ruby paused, remembering how she felt when she was there "he was though, The Wolf, and he

tried to run. Next thing I know, he fell and I cut his leg with the axe as he tried to stand."

 

Crawford stared open-mouthed at Ruby, "Hanson, make Miss Hunter a copy of everything we have on The

Wolf. Buchanan, bag that axe and take it to forensics. We'll see if we can get a blood match."


	3. A Lead

The dining room table was covered with documents, newspaper articles about The Wolf's murders, theories on

who it could be and all other scraps of evidence that the police had collected over the years, tenuously linking

The Wolf to anything and everything and everyone they could. It was quite some web they had put together.

It had to be someone well-known in the village, or someone who the victims felt safe with. After all, at the

crime scenes there was no sign of a forced entry, so it had to be someone that they would let into their home;

no questions asked...She had to start thinking about this from a different angle. All of the victims had to have

something in common, but what?

 

Ruby looked through the files of all of the victims - the police had collected so much information about them

it was hard to know where to start. Family trees - they weren't related...

Physical attributes - they didn't look at all similar...

Doctor's records - nothing there either...

 

This wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. But, there had to be something and if it took all day and night

to find it, then that was what she'd do.

 

It wasn't until the next morning came when, after four pots of coffee and feeling a little worse for wear, Ruby

stumbled onto something. Whilst looking at the phone records of the victims she noticed that the day before a

victim was killed, that same victim had made a phone call. Each and every one of them, to the same number.

It wasn't a big thing, but it was the only piece of evidence she had found that occurred in all of the cases.

 

She had to call the number. So, she picked up her phone, hands shaking, and carefully typed in the number.

Ruby took a deep breath as it rang, whoever answered this could be The Wolf, or failing that, could know

something about who was. Eventually, someone picked up, and Ruby held her breath in anticipation...

 

"Hello, Klangbury Sparks, how can I help you?" the voice crackled at the other end of phone.

 

Silently, Ruby put down the receiver and let out the breath she had been holding in. The electricians. What did

they have to do with this?

 

She picked up the phone again and dialled DI Crawford's number.

 

"A phone number for the electrician's? That's all you've got?" he said with disbelief.

 

"It's not just the number for the electrician's - all the victims called that number the day before they were

murdered!" Ruby tried desperately to make her case.

 

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but we already talked to the electrician's and their statement

checked out. They were all out together - some conference or something, I can't remember the exact details."

 

"But--"

 

"No buts. I don't want you to get involved in this. I promise you that you won't find anything that we haven't

found." And with that, he hung up.

 

Ruby was determined, despite the detective's words to find out the identity of The Wolf. The electrician's had

to know something, it was the only link between victims, and if Crawford wouldn't find out, she would.

 

* * *

 

Klangbury Sparks was a small business; they had a warehouse on the very edge of the town that used to be a

garage for the town mechanic. These days however, the electrician's was looking a little shabby, but business

was good for them. After all, they provided a service which everyone in the town needed.

 

Wandering in, Ruby noticed that the warehouse was pretty quiet, the tools were away and no one seemed to

be around.

 

"We're closed for the day" a gruff voice came from inside the office.

 

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise" Ruby said, stepping into the room. A greying middle-aged man sat behind the

desk, reading the newspaper.

 

"What did you want?" he said, looking up from the paper.

 

"Erm..." she began to speak, but then Ruby thought to herself, what if this man was The Wolf? He wasn't what

she'd expect the killer to look like, but she couldn't rule it out. Ruby decided that it wasn't a good idea to

directly ask him anything. "Erm - I was wondering if you had a screwdriver I could borrow?" she panicked.

 

The man looked at her, his brow furrowed "Sure...Wait here and I'll go and get one for you" he mumbled,

getting up an disappearing from the office into the empty warehouse.

 

When he was out of sight, Ruby decided to look around for any information. She carefully lifted the various

papers from the desk, and then gently replaced them to their original position. Eventually, she found a log

book which had all the names of customers and who went to see them. This was exactly what she needed.

 

Hearing footsteps approaching, Ruby quickly closed the book and put it into her jacket, out of sight and took

up her place by the door once more

"Here you go," the man had returned, handing her a screwdriver.

 

"Thank you," she spoke quickly, taking the screwdriver from his hand and quickly walked out of the office

before he could notice if anything was missing.


	4. Lupus

  
_Rick Lupus_. The same name was next too each of the victims. _Rick Lupus_. He was the electrician who went to

see all of them. He had to know something. Ruby stared at the name, it _had_ to mean something. She dialled Crawford's number, she had to tell him.

 

"Crawford." He answered the phone curtly.

 

"It's Ruby. Look, I went to Klangbury Sparks and I found an appointment book, it had all the names of

customers in the past year and it turns out the same electrician went to see each of the victims--" she spoke

quickly, barely pausing for breath, but Crawford cut her off before she could go any further.

 

"Stop."

 

"But--"

 

"Stop talking. I distinctly remember telling you to stop looking into this and leave it to the professionals."

Ruby sighed "I know, but I think I have something here--"

 

"I don't care what you think you have. Leave it." and with that the line went dead.

 

She knew that this wouldn't be the end; she needed to know whether Lupus was a dead end. So, there was

only one thing she could do - talk to him herself. Discreetly, of course, save Crawford finding out, but she had

to find out what, if anything, he knew.

 

* * *

 

"Hello, Klangbury Sparks, how can I help you?"

 

Ruby took a deep breath before speaking, "Hi, erm, the light fitting in my living room isn't working" She

wasn't lying, but it wasn't so much an electrical fault as the way she'd hit it with a hammer. The night before,

she had tried to think of a plan to talk to Lupus and she decided that the best way to get him on his own,

without Crawford finding out, was to call him to fix something.

 

"Right we'll send someone out to you; they'll be there in about fifteen minutes, okay?"

 

"Yes, that's great. C-could I ask you for a favour though?" Ruby's voice started to waver "Erm, could I ask

you to send Rick Lupus to fix it - he fixed my friend's light the other day and she said that he did a fantastic

job" she said the last part quickly so as not to sound suspicious.

 

"Sure..." the voice at the other end spoke after a pause. She knew that it still sounded suspicious, but this was

the only chance she'd got to talk to him. "I'll just take you name and address and he'll be with you shortly"

 

"Thank you"

 

Ruby sat of the sofa, staring at the clock as its hands moved slowly, _it's been fifteen minutes already_ she thought, _where is he?_ Her eyes followed the second hand as it ticked around the face.

 

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

She thought about how close she was to finding something out about The Wolf, any minute she'd be able to talk to Lupus.

 

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

Hopefully. But what if he didn't come? What if they didn't send him? It seemed likely; why would they send

him to a woman who had asked for him specifically? They probably thought she was some sort of crazy

stalker.

 

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

She jumped as there was a loud knock on the door. "Hello? It's Rick. Rick Lupus, from Klangbury Sparks."

came the muffled voice from outside. Ruby smiled to herself. One step closer to finding The Wolf.

 

Opening the door, she saw the tall, thin man that stood the other side. His uniform hung from him, as if it had

been made to fit someone else, someone of a considerably bigger build. His face was bright and decorated

with a wide smile when he saw Ruby. "Hello" he said, "Miss Hunter?"

 

She nodded, opening the door wider and stepping to one side to let him in. "The living room is just through

there," she gestured to the open door on her right.

 

"Okay, what seems to be the problem?" Rick asked when she entered the room.

 

"The light fitting" she pointed up, "It's stopped working."

 

"Right, well, let's see what we can do" he set down a large metal box on the table and, opening it, he took out

a screwdriver, a small torch and what looked like a metal book. However, when he pulled on one of the pieces

it turned into a small step for him to stand on. As he stood up, he winced.

 

"Are you okay?"

 

"Yes, it's just a bad leg - hunting accident" he said, by way of explanation.

 

"Can I get you anything - tea?"

 

"Yes please, no sugar" he smiled as she went into the kitchen.

 

As Ruby switched the kettle on, her phone started buzzing on the counter. Crawford.

 

Turning and looking through the small window in the kitchen door, she could see that Lupus was still working

away, so she answered the phone.

 

"Look, Crawford, this isn't a good time," she spoke quickly and quietly, eager to get him off the phone. She

couldn't risk Lupus hearing. It was clear he hadn't said a lot to the police before, and she wanted him to talk

now.

 

"Just listen, okay?" he said, exasperated, "We had the test results back from the blood on the axe"

 

"And?" she pushed him for more.

 

"It's your man, Lupus. The blood's his."

 

"W-what?" Ruby spoke after a long silence, suddenly aware of the fact she had a murderer in her house.

 

"It turns out he used to be quite the thief before he moved here" Crawford replied in a matter-of-fact way.

 

"And you're absolutely sure that the blood was his?"

 

"Yes. It was a 100% match."


	5. Hunter Becomes the Hunted

"He's in my house." Ruby's interjection caused the detective to splutter. Evidently, he had been drinking

something.

 

"What?!" he yelled, outraged.

 

"I decided to call the electrician; I wanted to find out what he knew"

 

"And did you?"

 

"Well...not exactly." Her voice was barely audible when she answered.

 

"You should've done what I said and stayed out of this!"

 

"And what? Let you and your team do nothing? As bad as this situation is now, you have to admit that if you'd

investigated him when I said; you could have already had him behind bars!"

 

"Fine. I apologise." Crawford replied, begrudgingly.

 

"Thank you. But what should I do now?"

 

"Keep Lupus occupied. We're on our way."

 

Ruby hung up the phone and placed it on the counter. Stirring the tea, she turned to check on Lupus. He

wasn't there.

 

She felt panic deep inside her as she looked around the room.

 

"Looking for me, Miss Hunter?" a voice came from behind her, making her jump.

 

Turning, she saw Lupus standing there, but he wasn't the man he was before. The bright eyes now looked like

something altogether darker and no longer was the happy grin; instead his lips curled into a sinister smile.

 

"I was just about to bring you your tea" Ruby said, holding out the cup in her shaking grip.

 

"I don't think that will be necessary now." When Lupus spoke, his voice was sickly sweet. "No...I think we

can dispense of the niceties now you know who I really am."

 

Ruby turned to leave, but was stopped by a strong grip on her arm. "How did you know that I knew?"

 

"I had my suspicions when I was asked for personally, but I think it was the phone call from the detective that

really sealed it." he pointed to his ears, "All the better to hear you with, my dear."

 

"Well then," she panicked, trying to think of something to stop him, "If you know I was talking to Crawford,

then you should know that the police are on their way."

 

Lupus tightened his grip on her arm, "I suppose I'll have to work quickly then."

 

Just then, the light bulb in the broken fitting fell to the floor, smashing. Lupus turned sharply and Ruby took

her chance and pushed him away, running for the door. She ran around to the side of the house and stood out

of sight, trying to calm her erratic breathing so as not to be heard.

 

In the quiet, Ruby heard the cautious steps on the porch. "Come out; come out wherever you are..." Lupus

said, his sing-song voice ringing clear in the air. "I only want to talk to you," he said, unconvincingly. She

could hear that he was getting closer.

 

Leaning down slowly, she picked up the snow-covered brick that lay by her feet and started to move further

away from the approaching voice with small steps. When Lupus rounded the corner Ruby tried to run, but

once again he had grabbed her arm pulling her backwards. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon." He spoke through

gritted teeth and he tried to hold Ruby still.

 

Throwing her arm behind her, Ruby struck Lupus with the brick in her hand and, letting go of her, he fell

backward onto the blanket of snow below. For a moment Ruby stood still, until she heard the sirens of the

approaching police cars, when she made her way forward, stepping over Lupus' body on the ground.

 

Suddenly, there was a strong grip on her ankle, pulling her to the ground. Instinctively, she hit out with the

brick once more, making sure Lupus was fully unconscious before she felt a hand on her arm as Crawford

pulled her up.

 

"Are you okay?" The detective was curt, but his voice was laced with concern.

 

"Yeah, I'm fine. But, if you had got here sooner I wouldn't have had to--"

 

"Smash his skull in with a brick?"

 

"I think that's the least he deserves."

 

 

After Lupus had been put into custody, Crawford took Ruby to one side, "I really am sorry. If we--if I had

listened to you sooner you wouldn't have been in that position. But, I could use someone like you on the force.

So, how about it?"

 

And with that, Ruby knew that this wouldn't be the only 'wolf' to find.


End file.
